Vintage Halloween postcards
Halloween greetings cards from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries often bore the images of traditional Halloween games that were popular at that time. Games involving, inter alia, apples, mirrors and walnuts were all played during the Halloween festivities. Some of the games were played to bring about "divining", a type of fortune telling. Thousands of Halloween postcards were produced at the turn of the 20th century. The postcards of the 1920s regularly depict children, but do not show trick-or-treating. On many of the postcards are images of pumpkins, the inevitable witches and black cats, and very often children playing Halloween games, or carving jack-o-lanterns. Today collecting Vintage Halloween postcards is a popular activity for many enthusiasts. Thousands of beautiful vintage Halloween images can be found within the public domain. Wikipedia states that the editor of a collection of over 3,000 vintage Halloween postcards commented: "There are cards which mention the custom of trick-or-treating or show children in costumes at the doors, but as far as we can tell they were printed later than the 1920s and more than likely even the 1930's. Tricksters of various sorts are shown on the early postcards, but not the means of appeasing them" Gallery Image:Vintage Halloween Postcard, Mr CornMan.jpeg|Mr Cornman, vintage Halloween postcard. Image:Pumpkin Carving, a Boy on the Haystack, Vintage Halloween Postcard.jpeg|Carving the jack-o-lantern on a haystack, vintage Halloween postcard. Image:Bobbing for Apples Vintage Halloween Postcard.jpeg|Bobbing for apples vintage Halloween postcard. Image:Hallowe'en pleasures..jpg|Postcard which depicts a girl apple bobbing. Image:Black Cat Vintage Halloween Postcard.jpeg|Black cat, vintage Halloween postcard. Image:Boo Vintage Halloween Postcard.jpeg|Boo! vintage Halloween postcard. Image:Boy and Girl Vintage Halloween Postcard.jpeg|Boy and girl with a giant jack-o-lantern, vintage Halloween postcard. Image:"Halloween Greetings." (Two boys carrying a large Jack-O-Lantern).jpg|Circa 1910 card which depicts two children carrying a large jack-o-lantern while being watched by a black cat and an owl. Image:Hallowe'en pranks..jpg|Postacrd which depicts a boy with a jack-o-lantern. Image:Halloween Vintage 05.JPG|A jack-o-lantern creature riding on a broomstick. Card produced between 1900 and 1910. Image:"A Thrilling Hallowe'en." (Three black cats flying through the air with Jack-o-lanterns).jpg|Circa 1910 postcard which depicts jack-o'-lantern-headed ghosts flying through the air with black cats. A witch flying on a broomstick across the moon can be seen in the background. Image:Hallowe'en..jpg|Postcard which depicts goblins running away from a jack-o-lantern. Image:"Hallowe'en." (Devil-demon seated on top of a Jack-O-Lantern).jpg|Circa 1910 card which depicts a demon sitting on top of a jack-o-lantern. Image:Halloween-card-mirror-1904.jpg|A woman sees an image of her future husband by looking in a mirror on Halloween night. 1904 card by Ellen Clapsdale. Image:A happy Hallowe'en..jpg|Another postcard in which a woman sees the face of her future husband in a mirror on Halloween night. Image:Halloween-card-mirror-2.jpg|Another card by an unknown which shows the same Halloween tradition. The shadow of a witch can also be seen. Image:Greeting Card, ca. 1880 (CH 18442865).jpg|Card produced around the year 1880 which depicts a woman seeing the image of her future husband in a mirror. The shadow of a witch with a broomstick, a black cat and a pumpkin can also be seen. Image:Hallow'een greeting..jpg|A woman is disappointed with the image of a future husband that she sees in the mirror on Halloween night. Image:Hallow'een greeting. - 4055670937.jpg|A woman stares into the mirror for a long time on Halloween night but does not see a vision of her future husband. Image:Hallow'een greeting. - 4056412260.jpg|Another humorous postcard in which a woman fails to see the face of her future husband in a mirror on Halloween night. Other things to frighten you.jpg|1900 American card which depicts a little girl looking in a mirror while combing her hair at midnight on Halloween in order to see an image of her future husband. Image:PumpkinheadsHeaven1901.jpg|An unusual American Halloween card from 1901. Image:"You Auto Have a Happy Hallowe'en." (Jack-O-Lantern driving a car).jpg|Circa 1910 card which depicts a pumpkin-headed motorist. Image:The Halloween Lantern car 1914.jpg|1914 card that depicts a jack-o'-lantern, a witch and vegetable people in a car with a face. Image:1909 Halloween card with African American girl.jpg|A young girl is puzzled by the sight of a jack o'lantern. 1909 card by an unknown artist. Image:1910 Halloween card with African American girl.jpg|A girl gets a fright on Halloween night. 1910 card by an unknown artist. Image:Hallowe'en. - 4056410832.jpg|Postcard which depicts a witch and her black cat on a broomstick. Image:Jolly Hallowe'en..jpg|Postcard which depicts a young witch and her black cat on a broomstick. Image:"Hallowe'en." (A Witch riding a broomstick being pulled by a jack-o-lantern with a black cat).jpg|Circa 1910 postcard which depicts a witch and a black cat on a broomstick pulled by a pumpkin. Image:on Hallowe'en..jpg|Postcard which depicts a flying witch, a jack-o-lantern and some bats. Image:Hallowe-'en greeting..jpg|Postcard which depicts a witch in an airplane and some owls. Image:Hallowe'en precautions..jpg|Postcard which gives advice on how people can protect themselves from wicked witches. Image:Greeting Card, ca. 1880 (CH 18442867).jpg|Card produced around the year 1880 which depicts a mother and daughter watching a witch fly past their open window. Image:Hallowe'en greetings (22611725226).jpg|A card with an image of a witch's head and a jack-o-lantern preserved in the Special Collections of the Toronto Public Library. Image:All Hallween Card 1911.jpg|1911 card that depicts an attractive young witch on a broomstick. Image:1910s-Witch-Cauldron-Halloween-Postcard-I-Summon-Up-Remembrance-1152x1536.jpg|Early 20th century postcard that depicts a witch using her cauldron to cast a spell. Image:The witch..jpg|Postcard which depicts some children making a model witch with a pumpkin head. A real witch watches from the moon. Image:Frances Brundage Halloween.jpg|A card with an illustration by the American artist Frances Brundage (1854-1937). Image:Frances Brundage schwarze Katze.jpg|A card with an illustration by Frances Brundage which depicts a girl in a witch costume holding a black kitten. Image:A Jolly Halloween card Black Cats.jpg|Early 20th century card that depicts a boy surprised to see a nighttime parade of black cats wearing conical hats and carrying jack-o'-lanterns. Image:Postcard BRundage c1910.JPG|A card from around the year 1910 with an illustration by Frances Brundage. Image:Hallowe'en greetings..jpg|Postcard which depicts a young woman wearing a mask. Image:Halloween 1912 Card.jpg|A jack-o-lantern man and a young woman. 1912 card by John Winsch. Image:"A Merry Halloween." (Girl blowing a horn with three Jack-o-Lanterns).jpg|Circa 1910 postcard which depicts three pumpkin-headed vegetable people, a little girl blowing a horn and a black cat. Image:All Hallowe'en greetings..jpg|1908 American Halloween postcard. Image:What the boys did to the cow..jpg|Postcard which depicts the aftermath of a Halloween prank. Image:You would laugh too.jpg|Pre-1920 card with racist caricatures of African-American children. Image:Halloween Vintage 03.JPG|An early 20th century invitation to a Halloween party. References Category:Decorations Category:Activities